E-collars or “Elizabethan” collars, so called in view of their Elizabethan era appearance, have long been used in veterinary practice to protect an animal's head or prevent contact between an animal's head and other parts of its body. The collars are used, for instance, after surgery to prevent an animal from biting or chewing at dressings or areas below its neck, or from pawing or scratching at dressings or areas on or about its head.
Frequently such collars have taken the general shape of a funnel or truncated cone. E-collars are usually closed around the animal's neck and retained in place by interlocking tabs, snaps, lacing, staples, and the like. The E-collars are usually provided in a variety of sizes or size ranges to accommodate animals of various sizes, and the effective size range of a particular collar is often limited by the closure mechanism used. Such closure mechanisms are usually cumbersome and time-consuming to attach and remove and the collars are most often much larger than necessary.
Examples of such collars include both reusable and disposable collars. More recently E-collars include closure mechanisms that involve the use of hook and latch type closures provided on both ends of a collar for allowing some degree of adjustability. However, if not secured properly, the animals may remove the device very quickly or harm themselves in the process. In some cases the E-collar is attached to the animal's existing collar, further encumbering the removal and attachment process. E-collars, due to their construction from a flat plastic sheet, often cause skin irritation as a result of sharp edges.
What is needed is a collar that is quickly and easily attachable and removable and which accommodates a wide variety of sizes within a breed or species. For example, a dog collar should not be used for cats. Nor should one attempt to cut down a universal collar to fit a smaller animal. The collars should also be free from sharp edges.